


All Is Cold Betwixt

by bbluejoseph



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Blood, Brainwashing, DEMA (Twenty One Pilots), Death, Dystopia, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, M/M, Poisoning, Skeletons, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Supernatural Elements, Violence, death mentions, hallucinations & visions, man what a fun lighthearted fic we got going here, physical violence, some talk of guns and rifles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbluejoseph/pseuds/bbluejoseph
Summary: Even the skeletons were silent.
Relationships: Josh Dun & Tyler Joseph, Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph
Kudos: 8





	1. half full

**Author's Note:**

> "bluejoseph," I imagine you to be thinking right now, "another dema fic? haven't you gotten sick of those yet?" no, dear reader, I have not. this one is a little different from my previous escapades. while there's some obvious elements from the original dema universe tyler and josh created (bishops, banditos, the city itself) there's also a lot of things that I've changed or altered. I was semi-inspired by an article I read about the berlin wall. i'm not sure how long this is going to be. tags will be updated as I go. also, the title of this fic is from a welcome to night vale episode (#18: the traveler)
> 
> tldr; i will die on my dema fic hill. imagine banditos but,,,,snow

Tyler was not alone. 

He could hear the rising hissing of the skeletons in his ear, alerting him to the danger. He’d already scaled a tree, but he shifted around a bit, pulling up his hood and making sure he was adequately hidden behind a thick bough. 

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Tyler could hear the crunching of boots on snow, see the figure marching in the narrow space between the chain link fence and the stone wall. He watched as the figure approaches, stared at the gun held gingerly in their arms like a child.

Shaking his head slightly, Tyler squinted at the figure. He--the guard was a he--looked just as conforming as any guard he’d seen on the outskirts of the city. He wore the dark gray uniform of the city; Tyler saw the glint of the gold buttons on his coat, and he had a few armbands on his right sleeve, although less than some. His smooth black helmet looked almost shiny against the dull gray of the wall behind him. Like the shell of a beetle.

But something was off about this man, something different.

The skeletons continued to hiss, but to Tyler’s surprise, it lowered in its tone as the man got closer. They never did that, they were always loud and warning until the soldiers were out of sight. Intrigued, Tyler leaned slightly in the guard’s direction, just enough to be able to see. 

Despite his appearance--his muscular build, his uniform, his rigid outer self--Tyler could see right through him, and this man was...wary. He was new, it was his first time on patrol, but that wasn't it. There was something within him, a little seed of doubt in his heart.

Tyler’s own heart jumped at this, truly intrigued to find someone who shared a trait with him. This guard doubted the bishops, he wasn't loyal like the others. It felt like the beginning of something. 

He watched the guard with sharp, curious eyes until he disappeared even from his sight.


	2. half empty

Josh took off his snowy coat almost the moment he arrived in his quarters, hanging it on the coat rack. He shed his boots, as well, and hung his helmet on the back of the door before going into the bathroom.

Getting a cup from beside the sink, Josh filled it with water before stepping back out into his small living space. He took a few moments to crouch by the fireplace, igniting a small but steady flame to warm him. As the cold began to ebb away from his bones, he sat in his chair, taking small sips from his glass of water and reflecting on his first day at his new post.

He was assigned his first job in DEMA a few weeks ago, but he just now started officially working. He had to go through quite a bit of training, most of it physical, to get him back into shape after the accident that brought him here. Josh enjoyed the exercise and built plenty of muscle as a result, which was the deciding point for the Council to assign him the important task of border watch.

It took a few weeks after that to learn the watch-specific duties, mostly learning to assemble, carry, and use his gun. He still carried it very lightly, not used to holding such a powerful tool in his arms, but his trainer assured him that he’d become more comfortable with it in time.

It was a simple job; walk the entire border around the city, twice a day, at an even march. If he saw anything abnormal, he was to file a report for the Council to overlook, after which a decision will be made as to whether or not to take action. 

Of course, if there was an urgent threat--someone trying to break into DEMA, a rebel trying to defile the wall--Josh was supposed to shoot on sight. But he was told that this didn't happen much. Even if it were, there was other guards marching two hundred paces in front of and behind him. He’d have help.

Being in danger was not Josh’s main concern. 

Late at night, as Josh stared at his ceiling and tried to sleep, he let his most private thoughts run wild in his head. Privately, Josh didn’t want to shoot anybody. He carried his gun loosely because he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he wanted to show that he’d rather take someone alive than dead.

At night, Josh worried about what he’ll do when someone inevitably poses a threat on his watch. Could he make himself kill someone? And if he could, would he be able to live with the repercussions?

Despite the warmth of the fire, Josh shuddered. He shouldn’t be having such traitorous thoughts. DEMA has done so much for him. They took him in after the accident, they healed him and were with him every step of his recovery. Even now, they provided him with food and shelter. He should be willing to kill for them.

But he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm reviewing this fic in my docs and will be making some major changes! I'll eventually publish a complete version of this fic, but I'll leave this one up in the meantime for anyone who still might enjoy it


End file.
